Independent Nick Xenophon and Family First's Bob Day happy to work with Palmer team in new Senate

Updated
Mon 7 Apr 2014, 1:31 PM AEST

Photo

Nick Xenophon can see eye-to-eye with Palmer party on pokies.

South Australia's Independent Senator Nick Xenophon and Family First senator-elect Bob Day say they are keen to find ways to work with Palmer United Party (PUP) senators when the new upper house sits from July.

Senator Xenophon, who started his parliamentary career in SA's State Parliament as a no-pokies campaigner, says he had lunch with MP Clive Palmer in recent days and discussed their common ground and differences.

"He told me that he's actually quite concerned about the impact of poker machines. He's not a big fan of pokies and the impact they have on people ... so I'm very happy to work with him on that," he said.

Senator Xenophon says he does not support the carbon tax in its current form, putting him at odds with Mr Palmer's view.

"I don't support the carbon tax ... I do support an alternative scheme as set out by Danny Price, you may remember from the ETSA privatisation days, who has advised Malcolm Turnbull when he was opposition leader and me on a better, smarter way of trying to reduce greenhouse gases without costing consumers and taxpayers as much money," he said.

The SA independent thinks it will be either calm or chaos in the Senate after July, with little prospect of anything between those extremes.

"Let's see what happens, I want the new Senate to work. There'll be a lot of pressure on the new senators," he said.

"I can't predict what will happen after July the first. It'll be one of two things, it will either be complete mayhem or it will go remarkably well, I don't think it will be in between.”

Senator Xenophon says speaker Eric Abetz will earn every cent of his pay managing the new chamber.

'Pretty sensible people', says Bob Day

Family First's Bob Day will take his place as a senator for South Australia from July and is optimistic the new Senate will be effective.

"We all have one thing in common, that is we all want to do a good job," he said.

Of the minor party senators-elect, Mr Day says: "They all seem pretty sensible people to me. I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt".

The weekend re-run of the Senate vote in Western Australia saw a strong swing toward the Palmer party and the Greens and falls in the Liberal and ALP votes.

From July 1, the new Senate appears likely to have a crossbench of as many as eight minor-party senators.

PUP looks set to hold three spots and has signed an agreement with Victoria's Motoring Enthusiasts Party senator-elect Ricky Muir, giving the Palmer forces control over four upper house votes.